Trowse Primary School

Curriculum Overview

The school curriculum comprises all learning and other experiences that each school plans for its pupils. The National Curriculum is an important element of the school curriculum, but we believe we offer much more than this. It starts with the vision- what is it we really want for our school and the pupils?

 In September 2022 we ran two parent information events about our curriculum. If you would like to see the slides from that even, please see the document download link below.

Overall, we aim to foster:

• successful learners who will have an enquiring mind, enjoy learning and achieve their full potential.

• confident individuals who show resilience and are able to live safe, healthy, fulfilling and aspirational lives.

• responsible global citizens who believe in equality, develop empathy and show kindness to all.

INTENT of the School’s Curriculum

The school curriculum, and therefore all we plan for and deliver, must:

• Instil in children a positive disposition to learning – trying hard and learning are cool!
• Promote high standards in all they do, particularly in literacy, numeracy.
• Promote personal development on an equal footing to academic learning.
• Provide continued entitlement from early years to a coherent, broad and balanced curriculum.
• Deliver the national curriculum as part of a wider school curriculum.
• Promote respect, care and manners throughout the school.
• Challenge children to be the best they can be.
• Ensure children know about and feel part of a community; they are all valued individuals and members of a group.
• Make children more aware of, and engaged with, their local, national and international communities to become a knowledgeable global citizen.
• Inspire and extend individuals interests, knowledge and skills.
• Give children ownership of their own learning.
• Promote independence and confidence.
• Promote physical and mental well being
• Promote resilience and stamina.
• Be relevant to children and prepare them for the here and now, for the next phase of their education, and for their future.
• Widen horizons and raise aspirations about the world of work and further and higher education
• Be enjoyable and help children know how to have fun.

A BROAD CURRICULUM

We believe that we are preparing children not only for their next phase of education, but also for the life that lies beyond them. We regard primary school years as forming the base on which our pupils will build their future education. We therefore aim to give our pupils as broad an integrated an education as possible during their time with us. To this end, we place a strong emphasis on a broad and balanced curriculum, where topics are studied for periods of time, supported equally by the personal development of the individual.

To assist us in achieving our vision and the curriculum aims, we use the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) in the Reception Class and the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) for years 1-6 which not only gives us the direction for academic learning, but the 'Personal Goals' which are woven throughout the day give children the guidance they need to be the best person they can be.

Our year groups, for the purposes of the curriculum, are divided into 'Mileposts'. Year 1 and 2 are 'Milepost 1. Years 3 & 4 are milepost 2 and finally years 5 & 6 are Milepost 3. Learning objectives are covered in each milepost and revisited and built upon in the next milepost. 

Topic themes (such as, physical geography, or plants & animals)  are revisited to ensure our curriculum is appropriately sequences and progresses appropriately through the years. Lots of them themes are revisited in each milepost as you can see from the plan below.

OUR CURRICULUM

 Our whole curriculum is made up of three ‘layers’. 

• The core of what we want to develop is about children learning to be good learners; their PERSONAL GOALS. This is not about the content of a subject, but about understanding what qualities make a good learner. To be adaptable, to empathise, to collaborate, to communicate, to be a thinker, to be resilient, to be respectful and the be ethically minded. These qualities are displayed in every classroom and the descriptor of each is progressive as the children get older. Praise and reward in school is more often linked to personal qualities, not 'being the best'.
• Around this personal development is the National Curriculum (September 2014) published by the Department for Education. This provides the bulk of the content of what children learn at school.
• Our own School Curriculum is more than the National Curriculum. This extended offer is the 'icing on the cake'. This is partly based on our locality and how we can best utilise what is around us the promote our vision for the children. These things include residential visits for all KS2 children, being a 'Daily Mile' school, learning to ski and learning to sail as part of PE for example. 
• In terms of delivery or these elements, we have adopted and implemented some key materials. These are the 'big bits of the jigsaw' of our curriculum.  
  • With early reading we use 'Success For All' phonics for the teaching of phonics and to support reading lessons.
  • In years 3-6, reading is supported by the Accelerated Reader (AR) Programme. 
  • From September 2022, the thematic approach to foundation subjects comes from the International Early years Curriculum (IEYC) and International Primary Curriculum (IPC)
  • We use White Rose Maths as the basis for our maths curriculum.
  • We use Talk-4 Writing as the philosophy behind our approach to developing creative writers
  • Children in Years 3-6 have 'personal Coaching' from their class teacher to help them identify their next steps and support the children to take responsibility for their own learning. 

EYFS

The Early Years Foundation Stage, which underpins the curriculum in our Reception classes, is distinct in its identity. The curriculum, by which we mean the learning and development undertaken by every child in this Key Stage, is planned in accordance with ‘Statutory Framework For The Early Years Foundation Stage for schools- January 2024’.

Phonics and early reading comes from the Success For All scheme.

Maths comes from White Rose sequencing.

The topics we use come from the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC). The development of each child is recorded through the use of assessment which provides an accurate and detailed insight into the progress made by the individual. Observations made of each child in a variety of environments and learning situations ensure that an accurate recording of an individual is made. With a comprehensive view of the level of development for each child, an appropriate and challenging curriculum can be delivered to ensure the needs of the individual can be met effectively.

On entry to Reception at our school all children will undertake a 'baseline assessment' in order to ascertain stages of development, strengths and needs. Many children have followed an EYFS programme at nursery and the records made by practitioners in that setting also provide vital information on individual attainment and requirements for the coming year.

Careful and flexible planning between all the staff in contact with the children ensure a wide, varied and effective curriculum is delivered using the IEYC.

Please scroll to the bottom of the page to find a document titled 'Early Years Outcomes' which details child development in the early years and in particular has a paragraph after each section called 'Early Learning Goal' which is where we would like children to be by the end of their reception year.

The topics we will cover this year in reception are shown below on the document 'Reception Overview'.

KEY STAGE 1: YEARS 1 AND 2

Key Stage 1 of the National Curriculum (September 2014) begins formally in Year 1. Class teachers are responsible for planning and teaching coverage the whole curriculum (and the Norfolk Syllabus for RE) and adapt the long term plan from the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) based on the knowledge children need to learn in subjects, to deliver it in a well sequenced order. Subjects are tied in to these topics where appropriate to make the learning as relevant an exciting as possible. Discrete subject teaching will still happen when appropriate. Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to see a PDF of our curriculum overview for the current year 1 or year 2.

KEY STAGE 2: YEARS 3 TO 6

 The National Curriculum (September 2014) underpins our statutory duty and is taught through key stage two as well as the Norfolk Syllabus for RE. The broad curriculum continues to be delivered through topic based approach, just as in key stage 1, using the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). The long term plans in this key stage are also based on the knowledge children need to learn in subjects, in a well sequenced order, but in key stage two the two mixed age classes (year 3 & 4 and year 5 & 6). They study separate topics to ensure full coverage, each on their own two year rolling programme. French is taught as the main foreign Language. Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to see a PDF of our curriculum for the current year for each class in KS2. For September 2022 the is a year 3 class, a year 4 class and a year 5 & 6 mixed age class. 

PSHE AND RSE

Throughout the School PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) and Citizenship is an integral part of the curriculum . It is not solely taught in isolation and is the responsibility of all staff who come into contact with the children. In the IPC planning, PSHE is called 'Health and Wellbeing' and is woven throughout the IPC units as well as having some specific units where 'Health and Wellbeing' is the main focus. The Health and wellbeing curriculum is supported by the school having our 'Personal Goals' (listed above). These are woven throughout lessons in planning and are referred to specifically, frequently. Other aspects of school life support PSHE too-   to top up the curriculum offer, such as assemblies, charity/ community involvement, outings and class roles and responsibilities held in school. 

For 'RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) we have created a separate page containing the overview, then detail on lessons on each year group. 

Below are the yearly overviews showing you what topics are covered and when.